Anne Meredith Barry

Anne Meredith Barry was an award-winning printmaker and painter known for her landscapes of Newfoundland and Labrador. She was born in Toronto and in 1954 graduated from the Ontario College of Art. A career success came in 1969, when she was included in the prestigious City of Montreal Art Exhibition. Barry visited Newfoundland for the first time in 1971, after accepting a residency with the Outport Arts Foundation. Deeply inspired by the province’s rugged beauty, Barry regularly returned to Newfoundland from her home in Toronto to paint, make prints, and teach. In 1986, Barry and her husband, John moved to the island permanently. Barry received many awards and honours for her work. She was elected to the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 1995, received an honorary doctorate from the Memorial University of Newfoundland in 1998, and was awarded the Queen’s Jubilee Medal in January 2003 for her support of the arts in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Lithography, or writing on stone is based on the resistance between grease and water. The artist uses drawing and painting materials containing grease on a limestone slab or aluminum plate to create an image. A gum arabic mixture is applied to the composition to securely bond the image to the plate. The surface is then dampened with water which adheres to the non-greasy areas. Ink is applied and only adheres to the greasy sections. Areas covered with water remain blank. The plate is then run through a press under extreme pressure. Lithograph prints are characterized by soft lines and rich textures.